


In Transit

by paintkettle



Category: Zootopia (2016)
Genre: Angst, Bigotry & Prejudice, Emotional Hurt, Gen, Insomnia, Mid-Canon, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-02
Updated: 2017-01-02
Packaged: 2018-09-14 07:24:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,288
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9168169
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/paintkettle/pseuds/paintkettle
Summary: Judy usually took busy subway journeys in her stride. She’d quickly picked up on the taboos of public transport, and she’d aim to look anywhere but at her fellow travellers.But they’d all seen the news reports, and today, the passengers in the carriage were looking at her.* * *Another view on the fallout of a media event gone sour, where the only constant is how you get to work.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This work includes spoilers from the film.
> 
> Some minor canon divergence with the ZTP, their uniform and equipment.

Judy crossed the threshold of her apartment, closing the door softly behind her, both paws resting on the night-latch. A final considered push clicked it shut.

The spring evening was still light, but the lengthening shadows of the Downtown high-rises were already creeping long across the modest suburb she called home.

Switching the light on with a loud _snap_ , she breathed heavily for a moment, paws dropping to her sides, balling into tense fists.

She thought she’d got it covered. That she’d be able to answer the questions accurately, recount all the facts, keep it impersonal.

But she’d got it so, _so_  wrong.

She’d just gone ahead and validated the worst kind of sentiment for all to hear. A worse outcome she couldn’t have imagined.

And hadn’t even realised.

It wasn’t until the single short friendship she’d managed to forge in this very strange and — thanks to her — suddenly very scared city had slipped away from her that it had sunk in.

_That fox_ , she’d dragged him headlong into that case, threatened him with prison and put his life in danger, over and over.

When she’d stretched the Chief’s patience to breaking point, when he was finally ready to dismiss her, _Nick_  had stood up and defended her with unconditional support.

They’d solved the case _together_.  
  
How had she repayed him?

_I’m such an_  idiot, she thought, resting her head back against the door.

 

* * *

 

The morning came far too quickly, but she’d kept to her routine.

Judy took busy subway journeys in her stride. She’d quickly picked up on the subtle, but widely acknowledged taboos of public transport on previous journeys, and she’d aim to keep to herself and look anywhere but at her fellow travellers.

No-one looked at anyone on the subway, at least not for more than a second to two, and unless you knew the traveller next you — _really_  knew them — _never_  in the eyes.

But they’d all seen the news reports, and today, the passengers in the carriage were looking at _her_.

The train shuddered, last stop before Savannah Central. She stared blankly at the advertisements beyond the carriage window.

Her own ghostly reflection stared back accusingly.

 

* * *

 

It had been a busy three days and Judy still wasn’t sleeping well. Someone at the Precinct station had recommended warm drinks before bed, but that only served to wake her up later on, and _well_ , once she was up, there was no hope of sleep after that.

Judy tapped her payment card on the low-level entry gate and half padded, half jogged through to the escalator. She hopped onto the descending step and was sure to move to the right to avoid being trampled by mammals walking down from behind.

The platform was crowded, and she found herself weaving through taller mammal legs to find a clearer spot near the platform end in which to wait.

She glanced up at the arrival board.

_Savannah Central, 2 minutes._

Everyone was looking around askance. There was more than the usual uneasy wariness this evening, as if everyone was holding their breath, as if something might be about to happen.

Judy stared at her footpaws, feeling loathsome as the pressure suddenly changed, the approaching train pushing sickly, hot air through her fur.

 

* * *

 

It was nearly a week now and the lack of decent sleep was starting to show. Her eyes were less bright, her smile not so broad. She was less inclined to brush out the lick of fur she woke with atop of her head.

Judy headed home, preparing for an early start. She had been rotated onto the morning shift in readiness for a community support assignment at a predator demonstration, scheduled for tomorrow.

“Ironic,” she’d later whispered to herself in the break room.

There were more ZTP Officers than usual at the ticket gates, bright yellow high-vis making their presence felt.

She nodded solemnly to one Officer as she tapped in at the entry gate, noticing a taser clipped to one breast, a dart-pistol slung across the other.

Having read the briefing notes that were hastily issued to all Officers following recent events, Judy felt sick thinking about what might happen next.

The commuters filtered down to the platforms. Judy scanned the crowd, and even though that unwritten commuter policy of _don’t-look-at-anyone_  was in observation, she was suddenly aware of the way the crowd was moving, driven by scent, the prey animals keeping to one side, the predators the other.

 

* * *

 

She had been _completely_ exhausted when she’d come off duty. As a front-line CSO at the demonstration, she’d worked tirelessly right across her shift, determined not to make the any more public relations mistakes.

She was dead weight by the time she reached her bed. So why then had she slept so badly?

She tapped in — although it was more dragged in — scraping her card across the payment gate terminal.

Lost in her thoughts, she padded slowly down the platform as others jostled and wove around her.

A group of mammals on the platform jumped aboard the waiting carriage, and even though it wasn’t particularly full, they turned to block the mid-level doorway. A ruffled business suit tried to board behind them but couldn't get past. The scuffle caught the rabbit’s attention but she was frozen from a moment, barely able to even blink her tired eyes.

Then, with a start, Judy suddenly surged forward to try and intervene, her glinting badge doing little to provoke any kind of urgency from the crowd to part and allow her progress.

She radioed for support, paws flapping as she tried in vain to catch the attention of the train dispatcher .

The business suit — a wildcat — waved their arms and cursed in frustration.

Dizzy from the crowd pressing in, she relayed a description of the group to the ZTP Dispatch before turning to calm the wildcat down enough to take aside and to take a statement.

 

* * *

 

It had been a difficult day, full of paper-work.

Judy rested her payment card against the ticketing top-up terminal. There was a chirrup as the bills she fed in were credited, ready for the next few days.

She _really_ needed to sign up for the automatic top-up so she didn’t need to keep doing this. She’d been meaning to since she’d got to the city.

The subway station was busy this evening, full of uniformed Officers now, their high-vis a sickly yellow under the artificial lighting.

The hastily thrown-up physical barriers that were supposed to help the herds and packs flow were slowing everything down, so she decided to hang back and let the crowds subside a little.

Her radio squawked.

_All units from Dispatch, assault in progress._

The dispatcher announces the location — this station — her home station, Judy realises.

_Officer in attendance. First Responder on scene, ambulance en route. Suspect at large, use of tranquillisers authorised._

Even though she hasn’t been issued with a dart-pistol yet, Judy answers to assist, bounding up the steps onto the street because it’s her _duty_ , even though she just wants to run far, far away.

 

* * *

 

By the time she made it back home it was past midnight. A long way past.

Judy crossed the threshold of her apartment, closing the door behind her with both paws trembling on the night-latch. A final push clicked it shut and she stood there a moment, paws spread on the back of the door.

A siren wailed in the distance, the thin single glaze of the only window in her narrow cell-like room doing little to keep the sound out.

She breathed heavily in the gloom, paws dropping loosely to her sides.

Her breaths quickly became sobs, and, dropping to sit on the floor, she curled tight against the dark.

**Author's Note:**

> I thought there might be a dedicated public transport division of the ZPD, so I gave them a brief presence in this work to add a little additional background detail to the setting. I hope it came across in the work, but I've added a note for clarity.


End file.
